1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a woodworking machine in the nature of a combination sander, planer, and molder wherein the planer head or drum is held in place by a pair of Morse taper plugs which, when released and withdrawn longitudinally from their position seated within the head permit removal of the planar head without removal or other movement of either of the bearings which support the planer head.
2. Summary of the Invention
The planer having a removable head as described herein may take the form of a machine which is used for woodworking and which may also be used for sanding or may be used with a molding head, which heads are interchangeable by virtue of the structure disclosed and described herein.
The removable drum assembly forming the subject matter of this invention is an improvement over the "Combination Planer, Molder" of U.S. Letters Patent No. 4,394,878, issued July 26, 1983, such patent being incorporated herein by reference as might be necessary or desirable for a full and complete understanding of the present machine and its improvements.
In the woodworking machine disclosed in the aforementioned patent, there is provided a cylinder for planing a workpiece which has its driven shaft supported by a pair of bearings, one of which bearings is pivotal. To remove the shaft, the rigidly mounted bearing must first be entirely released to permit upward swinging movement of the shaft and the drum, which is possible through the utilization of the pivotally mounted bearing as illustrated for instance in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawing of said patent. In order to accomplish removal of the drum, it is necessary that the side frame of the machine be slotted whereby the drum and its attendant shaft and associated components may be free to swing upwardly about the pivotal connection between the shaft and one of the bearings. The procedure is difficult and time-consuming and results in movement of the bearings each time the drum is to be changed as between a planer and a molder. Furthermore, the cost of a pivotal bearing is unnecessary as is the weakening of the supporting frame walls of the machine, given the high speeds utilized when the machine is operated.
Accordingly, and to eliminate the aforementioned problem, the present planer head is supported in such a manner that it may be removed without disturbing the bearings which carry the head. Furthermore, the changing of the heads, as between a sander, a planer and a molder may be rapidly accomplished without significant movement of the bearings and particularly without tilting or pivotal movement thereof when the planer head is removed since it is merely shifted directly upwardly. Further, it is not necessary to provide the frame walls of the machine with slots or openings, thereby giving greater strength and rigidity to the frame partcularly adjacent the mounting point for the bearings for the head whereby to aid in the overall operation and durability of the machine.
To this end, the planer head is supported, at each end, by a Morse taper plug, which plugs are each complementally received by a socket formed in the head whereby, when it is desired to change heads, a bolt may be merely loosened, each of the Morse taper plugs shifted longitudinally out of its corresponding socket in the head, whereby to free the head for upward movement between the walls of the frame and subsequent positioning of a new head. The new head may have comparable sockets to the initial and thus the Morse taper plugs might be utilized to mount the new head whether it be a planer, a sander or a molding head, all to the end that the machine may be readily converted from a sander to a molder to a planer, as desired by the operator thereof and within very short time frames.